Kangaroos put down at home of famous marsupial Skippy

Two emaciated kangaroos have had to be put down at the nature park where the iconic Australian television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed.

An Australian woman had to be rescued from her office after a 'frantic' kangaroo crashed through the window and leapt around the room, knocking over furniturePhoto: AFP/GETTY

By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney

1:26PM BST 23 Jul 2009

RSPCA officers were called to the 13-hectare Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary on Sydney's Northern Beaches after concerns that its population of more than 100 animals was not being properly cared for.

When they arrived at the site, they found two kangaroos that were so sick they could not be saved.

David O'Shannessy of the RSPCA said there would be an investigation into whether neglect played a part in the deaths of the two kangaroos.

"At this stage we're waiting on the outcome of detailed post mortem examinations but they were euthanised on welfare grounds," he said. "It's fair to say that the RSPCA had concerns about those individuals as well as the remaining animals on the property."

The government has denied that it should have intervened earlier, saying that it is the owners responsibility to care for the marsupials.

The parks is owned by Melbourne-based Prudentia Investments, which may face now action under wildlife protection laws.

The remaining animals, which cannot survive in the wild, will be moved to other wildlife parks.

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed at the park between 1966 to 1968.

It was syndicated all over the world and gained a huge following, even airing in Mexico, Cuba and Czechoslovakia.